Method of and apparatus for conditioning condensers



METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR CONDITIONING CONDENSERS Filed March 31, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet l w 6 N Q INVE/YTOR '1 W A By QM. BEYER A T TORNE V July 28, 1942. c. M. BEY'EVR 2,291,445

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR CONDITIONING CONDENSERS a 6/ 66 a a/ c g 9: .M.

ATTORNEY finished pressure.

eas d July 28, 1942 METHOD OF AND PARATUS FOR CONDITIONING CONDENSEBS Charles M. Beyer, West Orange, N. J., assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application March 31, 1939, Serial No; 265,181

18 Claims. (cl. 175-41) f This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for conditioning condensers, and more particularly to a method of and apparatus for conditioning mica condensers to predetermined capacities under predetermined pressures.

In the manufacture and use of m ca condensers it has been found that the efieetive life of such condensers, subject to various temperature changes and continuous use, depends not only upon the pressure applied to the pile-up w of the layers of mica and metal foil therein but on the uniformity of application of such pressure.

An object of the invention is to provide a simple, efficient and practical method of and apparatus for conditioning condensers to selected capacities under'predetermined pressures.

With this and other objects in View, the invention comprises a method of conditioning condensers. and apparatus by which the method may be practised, the means including a press con- 2@ trolled to pre-press a condenser at one position and uniformly apply a finished pressure to the condenser at a second position,mechanism being actuated at the second position to include the condenser in an electrical testing circuit to indicate the capacity of the condenser under the Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. l is a perspective view of one type of condenser which may be conditioned;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of a press embodying the invention;

like ends of alternate strips extend beyond the mica strips upon one side thereof and the like ends of the other foil strips extend beyond the mica strips-at the opposite end thereof. This pile-up of mica and metal foil strips is disposed between metal plates l2 connected by means of screws 53 at their corners. The plates l2 and the screws it may be termed as a clamp to hold the pile-up under pressure. The capacity of such a condenser is dependent upon the effective area of the metal foil under pressure therein and the amount of pressure applied to the pile-up. It is possible to condition a condenser of this type to a desired capacity by the use of any means to apply suitable pressure to the pile-up. However, due to the possibility of variation in thickness of the pile-up of the several strips of metal foil and mica, and also the clamping plates, such variations in thickness, although slight, would result in the application of greater pressure than that desired at the thicker portions and less pressure than that desired at the thinner portions if suitable floating means is not provided to enable uniform application of pressure to be applied. Furthermore, it has been found that the efiective life of condensers which have been nonuniformly compressed is greatly limited due to the factthat the maintenance of their capacity is shown in the remaining figures of the drawl 3 Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken along the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken substantially along the line i-il of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view showing the carrier in.the position illustrated in Fig. 3, and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 6-6 of Fig. 2.

Referring now to the drawings, attention is first directed to Fig. 1, which illustrates one form of mica condenserwhich may be conditioned by the practice of the method through the aid of the apparatus hereinafter described. In this form of condenser a desired number of mica strips 59 are disposed in stacked formation. Between g ued to m; WWW MW a l; om 11 l ings, to which attention is now directed.

A press, indicated generally at 15, has a base it and an upright ii. A head 18 is mounted for vertical movement. on the upright I1 and is adjustable relative to the base by an adjusting screw 20 threadedly mounted in an extended portion of the upright. A hand wheel 2| connected to the screw 29 provides means for rotation thereof.

The lower portion of the head I8 is cut away as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, providing guideways 5 23 (Figs. 2, 3 and 5) for receiving a pressure position' upon the lateral member 55, the valve 36 is again opened, causing application of the finished predetermined pressure uniformly to the condenser and the inclusion of the condenser in the test circuit to again determine the capacity of the condenser. when the desired capacity has been reached the screws 13 may be. tightened manually by the insertion of a suitable tool, such as a screwdriver, through apertures I in the pressure plate 25; The operator may readily adjust the screws to like position while the condenser is held under pressure so that the finished desired pressure may be maintained by means of the clamp which includes the plates l2 and the screws l3. To make sure that the screws B are properly tightened the operator need only view the meter H5 after sufiicient pressure has been released to relieve the condenser, yet hold the clamping jaws in lowered positions to includes the condenser in the test circuit.

Upon reviewing the operation of the apparatus it will be observed that the carrier 80 with the condenser may be moved into the first or high pressure position, where it is definitely located by the plungers engaging the V-shaped grooves 99. The pressure is applied uniformly at this position through the aid of the movable mounting of the yoke 40. At the next position, through the aid of the attachment I00, the final pressure is uniformly applied'to the condenser at the points adjacent the screws [3 and the condenser is included in the test circuit where the capacity of the condenser under the definite final pressure is determined. Adjustments may be made in the condenser to bring about a definite capacity thereof and the screws l3 may be adjusted to maintain a definite uniform pressure and definite capacity.

The embodiments of the invention herein disclosed are merely illustrative and may be widely modified and departed from in many ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as pointed out in and limited only by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A condenser conditioning apparatus comprising'a carrier for a condenser, a stationary press member, supports for the carrier, separate means to locate the carrier on the supports, and means to cause movement of the supports relative to the press member to selectively apply different uniform pressures to the condenser dependent upon what support the carrier is located.

2.'A condenser conditioning apparatus comprising a carrier for a condenser, a support for the carrier, means to removably locate the carrier on the support, means 'operatively connected to the support to-apply uniform pressure to the condenser, an electrical test circuit, and means rendered effective by the pressure applying means to include the condenser in the test circuit to'cause indication of the capacity of the condenser.

'3. A condenser conditioning apparatus comprising a head member, a carrier for a condenser, supports for the carrier, separate means to locate the carrier on the supports, means operatively connected to the supports andv cooperating with the head member to selectively apply different uniform predetermined pressures to the condenser dependent upon what support the carrier is located, an electrical test circuit, and means actuated to include the condenser in the test circuit to cause indication of the capacity of the condenser.

4. A condenser conditioning apparatus comprising a movable carrier for a condenser, means to guide the carrier, means associated with the guide means to cause application of pressure to the condenser, and means to locate the carrier in the guide means relative to the pressure means.

5. A condenser conditioning apparatus comprising a carrier for a condenser having clamping plates including members movable to engage one of the plates of the condenser at spaced positions, and means to cause application of pressure to the carrier to apply equal pressure at spaced points to the condenser through the members.

6. A condenser conditioning apparatus comprising a carrier for a condenser having clamping plates including members movableto engage one of the plates of the condenser at spaced positions, means to cause movement of the members into engagement with the condenser, and means to cause application of pressure to the carrier to apply equal pressure at spaced points to the condenser through the members.

7. An apparatus for conditioning a condenser including alternate strips of conductive and insulating material disposed between clamping plates held by screws, the said conditioning means comprising members with projections to engage the plates adjacent the screws, means effective to cause application of a predetermined uniform pressure through the members to the plates adjacent the screws, and means to indicate the ca- .pacity of the condenser under pressure.

means comprising members with projections to engage the plates adjacent the screws, means effective to cause application of a predetermined uniform pressure through the members to the plates adjacent the screws, means to indicate the capacity of the condenser under pressure, and means whereby the screws may be adjusted to maintain the uniform pressure when the said pressure means is rendered inefiecti-ve.

9. A condenser conditioning apparatus com-,

prising a carrier for a condenser, a pressure arm, supports for the carrier movably connected to the arm, separate means to locate the carrier on the supports, means to actuate the arm to cause application of a predetermined pressure to the condenser when the carrier is on one of the supports, means to actuate the arm to cause application of a different pressure when the carrier is on another support, a test circuit, and means adjacent one of the supports to electrically connect the condenser in the test circuit to indicate the condenser to cause uniform application of pressure to the condenser.

11. A method of conditioning condensers comprising applying a pressure higher than a final pressure to a condenser, subsequently applying a final pressure to the condenser, determining 2,291.,eeo

the capacity of the condenser under the final pressure, relieving the condenser 01 the final pressure, adjusting the condenser to a predetermined capacity, applying the final pressure again to the condenser, and clamping the condenser to maintain the final pressure and capacity.

12. A method of conditioning condensers comprising compressing a condenser by applying a uniform pressure thereto higher than a final pressure, relieving the condenser of the said pressure, subsequently applying a final pressure to the condenser, determining the capacity of the condenser under the final pressure, relieving the condenser of the final pressure, adjusting the condenser to a predetermined capacity, applying the final pressure again to the condenser, and clamping the condenser while under the final pressure to maintain the final pressure and capacity.

13. A condenser conditioning apparatus comprising companion press members, a carrier for a condenser, a table to support the carrier for the mounting of the condenser thereon, means to guide the carrier from the table to one of the members, and means'to cause relative movement of the members to apply a predetermined pressure to the condenser.

14. A condenser conditioning apparatus comprising companion press members, a carrier for a condenser, a table to support the carrier for the mounting of the condenser thereon, means to guide the carrier from the table to one of the members, means to locate the carrier with the condenser between the members, and means to cause relative movement of the members to apply a predetermined pressure to the condenser.

15. A condenser conditioning apparatus comprising companion press members, a carrier for a condenser, a table to support the carrier for the mounting of the condenser thereon, means to guide the carrier from the table to one of the members, means to cause relative movement oi the members to apply a predetermined pressure to be actuated during the relative movement of the members to connect the condenser in the test circuit to indicate the capacity of the condenser when under pressure.

16. A condenser conditioning apparatus comprising sets of companion press members, a carrier for a condenser, a table to support the carrier for the mounting of the condenser thereon, means to guide the carrier from the table to positions relative to the sets of press members,

means to cause relative movement of the press members to singly apply different pressures to the condenser when located relative to the difierent sets of press members, and separate means to locate the carrier with the condenser adjacentv each set of press members.

17. A condenser conditioning apparatus comprising companion press members, a carrier for a condenser having conductive portions, a table to support the carrier for the mounting of the condenser thereon, means to guide the carrier condenser thereon, gripping contacts, a test cirto the condenser, a test circuit, and means caused cuit including the contacts, means to guide the carrier from the table to position the condenser between the press members and the conductive portions between the contacts, means to cause relative movement of the members to apply a predetermined pressure to the condenser, and means actuable with the last named means to close the contacts on the conductive portions.

CHARLES M. ABEYER.

July 28, 1942.

Filed March 4, 1959 s E. BICKLE HEAT. TRANSFER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 11v VENTOR 5dlyzze'l ,Bzc/%Ze. BY 0A ATTORN Y 

